Resurrection
by Lautari
Summary: In the months following the series finale, Chloe is dealt an unfair hand and is forced to re-examine not only what she believes, but long-standing relationships as well.
1. Chapter 1

_I just pulled my old Smallville seasons out to rewatch and became inspired. I was also agitated anew by what I felt was a great disrespect to Lex. I love that he returned for the finale and I loved the exchange between him and Clark, but I could not believe the writers took his memories. Years of building a great destiny, friendship and then a divide between Lex and Clark was basically for nothing. Making Lex a blank slate that was pure evil without any kind of fuel behind it made no sense to me or the great character development over the course of so many years. Some might disagree, but that was my little rant. So this is my offering for Lex's character….and just pure indulgence. I always secretly shipped Chloe and Lex, thinking that the two could have had such chemistry. As lovely as Lana was, I was over the back and forth between her and Clark well before she left the show….like, in season four when Lois arrived. Okay, I swear, rant over. Enjoy._

"Lex Luthor still knows how to throw a party," Oliver murmured in Chloe's ear, taking in the surroundings at the LexCorp New Year's Eve bash.

She grinned and held up the napkinful of jumbo shrimp. "I'm not complaining. Did you see the size of these?"

He grinned and pulled her close as she popped one in her mouth. "Are you sure you're okay with being here?"

She frowned. "Why do you keep asking me that?" she asked around a mouthful.

"I just….you haven't seen him in years."

Chloe blinked.

"You were friends once."

She swallowed. "That was a different life. A different Lex."

Oliver raised an eyebrow and gave her a squeeze. Her husband knew Chloe's empathy caused her to struggle with Lex's metamorphosis over the years. Lex had walked a fine line between the light and dark, and while she firmly believed the young Luthor had made his own choices – as they all had – Oliver's own hand in pushing Lex into the darkness still caused him a measurable amount of guilt. She and Clark still gave him sideways glances when Lex was referenced, given his direct hand in his death. They both carried a burden of grief, Lex's death had affected them more than either had expected. It was still a touchy subject between the three of them, and Clark had refused to speak of Lex since his resurrection. Chloe had gone to him after Darkseid's defeat, and he'd simply shaken his head. _"I don't want to talk about it._

"Queen."

Chloe jumped and stiffened at the voice and Oliver tightened his grip on her waist, buoying her. He smiled tightly. "Luthor."

Lex nodded and shook his hand. He turned his attention to Chloe. "And Mrs. Queen. I was beginning to think Oliver was keeping you under lock and key."

Chloe gathered her wits and tucked her hand with shrimp behind her back. Lex grinned. "Le - Mr. Luthor."

"No, please, It's Lex."

For a moment, Chloe was back at The Torch. But only for a moment. She took his offered hand. "Lex."

He covered hers with his other hand and squeezed. She searched his gaze for any kind of recognition, but there was none. "I understand you have a new baby, but I hope to see more of you in the future. You as well, Queen."

The two men nodded tersely at each other and Lex dropped her hand and smiled again before disappearing back into the crowd. Chloe let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Well, I think that calls for a drink," she declared, grabbing a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter.

Oliver grinned.

"I'll pump and dump," she hissed before tossing back the glass. Her eyes widened and she swallowed the bubbly. "Speaking of the baby, I need to call Lois. I told her I'd be home by eleven."

"You go on. I'll call a car. Teague and I still have a meeting with Lex."

Chloe's eyes narrowed and he laughed and took her glass. "Go on, I promise, I'll be right behind you. Just wrapping up some end of year details. Plus, I want to keep an eye on him and what he's up to."

She sighed, but batted her eyes playfully. "Fine. Do you want your New Year kiss now?"

He leaned down. "Later," he whispered. "I promise I'll be back at the apartment in time for the ball to drop."

"Promises, promises. Fine, no kiss for you." She walked toward the elevator. "I'll wait up for you."

SVSVSVSVSV

Chloe and Oliver's apartment was spacious, but sparse, considering it was their home away from home while in Metropolis. Chloe didn't care though. She had missed this city. Star City just wasn't home yet. In another time, she would've walked home, even with the snow and brisk temperature. Motherhood called though.

"Lois?" She tossed her coat on the bench once she got in the door and kicked her heels off immediately. "I'm home."

He cousin's head popped around the corner from the den. "Chlo, I told you, we got this."

She smiled and shrugged and followed her. "I know, I just missed him."

"Jonathan's been asleep for two and a half hours." Lois rolled her eyes. "Superman's on patrol, mama bear."

Chloe raised her eyebrow at the sight of Clark sprawled on the couch asleep. Normally, he would've heard the car stop down on the street and been the first to greet her, but Lois' presence had a way of lulling him into a relaxed state. "Well, I came home to relieve you crazy kids of duty so you could get in some celebrating."

Lois blinked. "Clark?"

Chloe grinned, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Lois saw and touched her arm concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I just…I just saw Lex." She stole a look at Clark. "I mean of course I did, but….it was just more surreal than I thought it would be."

Lois squeezed her elbow. "Hey. It's okay to miss who he was."

Lois never really knew Lex, and their run-ins had been after the breakdown of his friendship with Clark. Her perception of the man was very much colored by the dark path he had already started down by the time they had met, but she knew everything about his history with Clark and Chloe and trusted their opinion on who Lex had once been.

Chloe smiled at her. "Yeah." She tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Well, I told Oliver I'd stay up and wait for him, so I'm going to check on the baby and read for a while."

Lois nodded. "Okay. I'm going to rouse Clark and get to bed. We'll be right down the hall."

"Night."

SVSVSVSV

A faint pounding at the door jolted Chloe out of sleep and the book that had been left open on her chest fell to the floor. She reached blindly to shake Oliver awake, but the sheets were cold. "Shit," she moaned. She was supposed to wait for him. What time was it?

She hurriedly stumbled for the door and was blinded by the hallway light that had already been flipped on. She squinted and saw Clark already had the door open with Lois behind him clutching his arm. Two cops were murmuring to them. Both looked disheveled from sleep and as she shuffled closer she noticed their stricken faces. Her heart dropped. "What's wrong?"

"It's Oliver, Chloe," Clark whispered. "There's been an accident."


	2. Chapter 2

_This is such a short update, but I wanted to get it posted to keep the story rolling. Longer update soon._

 _ **Five Days Later…**_

A fresh coating of snow was on the ground outside of Oliver's hospital room. Chloe had lost track of the days. It had been less than a week since the car accident, but between the tests, meetings with doctors, and refusing to leave her husband's side except to make visits to the apartment to see the baby, she was spent. That morning Lois had helped peel her out of the clothes she'd been wearing for the past two days and guide her into the shower in the bathroom attached to the hospital suite. She hadn't resisted, sinking to a crouch underneath the steam and pelleting of the water droplets. Her chest heaved, but there were no tears, only a tightness. She sat until the water turned cold and even then her cousin had to peek in and call for her.

Now she sat with a cup of cold coffee in her hand next to Oliver's bed tracing the outlines of his face with her eyes. To look at him, one would think he was sleeping. His face was unmarred save the mask and the few, small cuts on his left cheek and temple from impact. He was so unnaturally still though. The only sounds in the room was the beep and hiss from the life support.

"Mrs. Queen."

Chloe stood and frowned at Lex's figure in the doorway. "Lex? Mr. Luthor?"

"Lex." He stepped in. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude, I just wanted to see how Oliver was doing and ask if there was anything I can do."

Chloe unconsciously stepped between her husband and her former friend. "Stable but unchanged." She wanted to tell him to get out, but she had seen the report. Lex had called 911, tossed the driver his tie to use as a tourniquet and covered Oliver's shocked body with his own jacket until responders could move him properly. She motioned to his bandaged head and casted arm. "And you?"

He shrugged. "I've had worse…" His eyes flickered to the side sheepishly. "I assume."

Chloe grinned in spite of herself. _Yes, you have._ "I want to thank you for what you did that night."

He nodded. "I wish I could've done more."

"Thank you."

He turned to leave, but turned back around and studied her face intently. "Whatever you need, my resources are at your disposal."

She crossed her arms and nodded as he disappeared. Blowing out a sigh, she closed her eyes and lowered herself onto the bed, once again engulfed with hiss and beep keeping her husband alive.

SVSVSVSVSV

Clark slid a bowl of Ramen noodles across the counter. "You need to eat." His ears turned red. "Sorry, I'm not much of a cook."

Chloe smiled. "Neither am I." She covered his hand with her own and squeezed. "Thank you though."

He smiled, but quickly became serious. "Is there any change?"

She stabbed at the noodles with the fork. "No."

"We'll figure it out."

Tears burned her eyes, but they still refused to fall. Cerebral edema was the term used by the doctors. Chloe had snapped at them in her frantic state. _"What, is that just a fancy way of saying he's brain dead?"_ She blinked and pushed herself off of the bar stool. "I need to go feed Jonathan."

She'd spent the past days pumping at the hospital or in the moments she'd been home, and it was nice to nuzzle her little boy again and feel his warmth against her skin. She breathed in his sweet baby scent and touched the white, downy fluff on his head. It was starting to curl, much like hers did when she left it alone. Since growing her hair long, the waves had become more apparent and cascaded down her back. He was definitely Oliver's son though. At seven months old, his features and personality were starting to emerge. He smiled in his sleep while he nursed, unaware of the tragedy unfolding around him. She kissed his little fingers and closed her own eyes as she rocked him, hoping to get a quick cat nap in before she put him to bed and headed back to the hospital for the night.


End file.
